Kingdom Hearts 2 : Origins
by TripleF2000X
Summary: Kairi finally realizes Sora may never come back, but that doesn't stop her from setting out to find her true destiny after Sora begins to haunt her dreams. Chapter 5!
1. Alone

**Kingdom Hearts 2 : Origins**

Welcome to Kingdom Hearts 2: Origins. Many of you may have read the last installment up to Chapter 4, but after evaluating a lot of my story, I decided it would be best to start over with the writing. I feel that many parts of the story were rushed, so now I'm taking the time to go back and put more time into each section. Now I know a lot may be thinking, "This isn't going to be a whole new story is it?" No it is not going to be, and will be the same concept as the first "Origins" was. The story will be the same, the characters will be the same with minor improvements, but the writing will not be. 

I would like to take the time right now to clear up a few things in the story. Many of you have probably seen such videos like "Deep Dive", "Another Side, Another Story [US Secret Ending]" and maybe even "Showdown of Fate." I would just like to clarify that none of these videos will affect the story in any way. After watching each, I feel that most were made as a teaser for a Kingdom Hearts 2 that is, or will be, in production. So while reading this story, don't be asking why it doesn't start off in a town like NEO Traverse Town or where the blindfolded unknown that showed up in those videos is, because this is my story, and it will not follow these videos. Don't get me wrong, I am taking some bits and pieces out of the videos, for instance the shells, but it won't be something that will totally follow this. The story is following Kingdom Hearts 1 completely however.

Now I would briefly like to explain how I am going to be releasing this story. I plan on releasing two chapters a week, some weeks will have one chapter, and some weeks will have no chapters. I designated Wednesdays and Sundays to be the days that a new chapter will be released, but this could be changed some weeks. At the end of each chapter, I will give a date for the next chapter, the name of that chapter being released, and a short description of the chapter. I find using this way will be the best way for me to have enough time to put the effort into each chapter and also give me time in between to do normal stuff in my life.

There is also a website I have made for this fan fic, which I plan on having always a chapter ahead than any other site this fic is on. The website is www.kingdomheartsorigins.com. The site itself does not open until May 7, 2003 so I will continue posting chapters here until the site opens, then the site will be a chapter ahead from the opening date.

Finally, for the legal issues, I do not own any Kingdom Heart, Disney, or Square-Enix characters. I wish I would, because I would be rich and probably making this story into the actually Kingdom Hearts 2, but I don't so let's not get into that.

Alright so I guess it's time, introducing the very first chapter of Kingdom Hearts Origins, here is "Alone"....

**Chapter I: Alone**

It was a dark, miserable, cloudy day, a day that hasn't been unusual on Destiny Island in the past weeks. A girl was sitting alone on a rock peering out at the ocean. The ocean waves crashed along some rocks, as bigger waves began to form as the wind began to blow harder. The girl's long dark brown hair began to blow around in the wind as a sudden chill crept down her back. She began to shiver as she rubbed her hands together for warmth.

_It's been three years since you went away  
Left without a word and nothing to say  
When I was the one who gave you my heart and soul  
But it wasn't good enough for you, no  
So I asked God_

The girl got up and began walking along the beach. There was no one in sight. The beach wasn't too big, the only features being a little shack and a few small docks. A mountain side rested behind the docks, along with a small oasis like lake in the back which a waterfall ran into. Some would say the girl looked oddly familiar, some would say she doesn't. She was dressed up in a black skirt and a white sleeveless top, certainly not suited for the weather she was experiencing first hand. She didn't stop walking however, she was determined, she was going somewhere.

_God send me an angel  
From the heavens above  
Send me an angel to heal my broken heart  
From being in love  
'Cause all I do is cry  
God send me an angel   
To wipe the tears from my eyes_

She got off the beach and onto a stone walkway under what looked like a tree house, flooded with luscious green trees behind it. The girl began walking along the walkway until she got to a section covered with grown in brown dead vines. She began pulling out the vines one by one, using nothing but the sheer strength she had. With each vine being removed, a door was becoming more visible. Finally, all the vines were gone, the door was clear. It was a bright blue door, with a heartless symbol on it. The girl put her hand over the symbol touching it, feeling it. She quickly pulled her hand away after a few seconds, then pushing open the door.

_And I know it might sound crazy  
But after all that I still love you  
You wanna come back in my life  
But now there is something I have to do  
I have to tell the one that I once adored  
That they can't have my love no more  
Cause my heart can't take no more lies  
And my eyes are all out of cries_

The girl on the beach was Kairi, but not the same Kairi we all once knew and loved. Kairi changed, not only older, but stronger and wiser too. Kairi entered the secret childhood place of her and her friends, passing by a few drawings along the way. These weren't what she came here for though, what she came here for was at the very back of the cave. She pushed her way through the small walkways clouded in darkness, then finally reached a small circular room where only the tiniest ounce of sunlight appeared from a crack in the rocks above. Kairi looked at the wall, she saw the reason she was here.

_God send me an angel  
From the heavens above  
Send me an angel to heal my broken heart  
From being in love  
'Cause all I do is cry  
God send me an angel   
To wipe the tears from my eyes_

She came for the drawings of her and Sora, the one with the paopu fruit. It was told that if two individuals shared a paopu fruit, their destinies would become intertwined forever. "Silly tales" Kairi whispered to herself bending down to reach a piece of chalk that was left here over the years. Kairi dropped down to her knees in front of the drawings. She raised the piece of chalk to the drawings of the two, prepared to rid them of the wall for once, but she stopped. Something just didn't feel right.

_Now you had me on my knees   
Begging God please to send you back to me  
I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep  
You made me feel like I could not breathe  
Now all I wanted to do was to feel your touch  
And give you all my love  
But you took my love for granted  
Want my lovin' now  
But you can't have it  
God_

Kairi's eyes became filled with tears. Was she really ready to forget about Sora after so long? Was she ready to forget about Riku as well? To some, three years is just too long to wait, but others will wait forever. "You were supposed to come back.." Kairi cried. "Why didn't you come back!"

In pain and agony, Kairi decided it was finally time. She picked up the chalk in her hand raising it to the pictures, this time not stopping. Little by little, the pictures on the wall began to get overrun by the darkness from Kairi's heart, the darkness of a broken promise.

_God send me an angel  
From the heavens above  
Send me an angel to heal my broken heart  
From being in love  
'Cause all I do is cry  
God send me an angel   
To wipe the tears from my eyes_

Kairi stood up and looked at what she just done. Was it really right? Was it really worth it? She didn't know these answers, she only knew she wanted to put the past behind her. Kairi turned around and saw the door, the same door that was said to lead to the heart of this world. Shortly after Sora left, Kairi would come here day after day, wishing that he would walk through that door, back into Kairi's heart, a place that he was always in anyway. That was the past though, and after a few months of waiting everyday, she stopped coming to the place for good.

_Oh God, send me (God send me an angel)  
An angel (wipe the tears from my eyes) Oh baby  
Send me an angel from the heavens above  
Send me an angel (God send me an angel)  
From being in love (send me an angel)  
Oh God, send me an angel  
Send me an angel (send me an angel)  
Ooohhhh.._

Kairi threw the piece of chalk down to the ground, turning back to the dark path leading out of the place. She turned her head around one last time, looking around the place with so many memories still left in her mind. "Goodbye...." she said aloud, walking out of the cave and back onto the beach. Rain began to pour down onto the beach, palm trees blew in the wind, the waves were now bigger, and lightning appeared in the sky. "This is no weather for me to be out in" she thought to herself. She walked to the dock and boarded a small wooden rowboat. It wasn't much, but it was her only transportation back to the main island where her home was.

The trip back didn't take so long, considering the storm she was rowing in, it was a short time taken. The wind began getting worse, a storm was approaching from the distance. Kairi tied the boat up on the dock and started walking off, but a voice called out to her.

"So it just ends like that, you're going to throw away your destiny, our destiny?" said a voice seemingly coming out of nowhere. Kairi stopped in her tracks. She knew the voice, she knew it all too well. It's the voice that was with her for years, the voice that has been calling out from her heart.

"No" Kairi said stomping her foot. "You can't do this, you can't taunt me like this. You don't know..." The voice could only belong to one person, Sora. Kairi turned around and saw a young Sora sitting along the edge of the dock, looking off at the approaching storm clouds. Kairi stood still, it couldn't be, it just couldn't. How could he just show up like that, after three long years, how could he just show up, looking like he never aged, and think he could come back into her heart.

"Sit down Kairi" the young Sora said. "I have such a story to tell you." The only thing Kairi could do is stare in amazement. Nothing seemed real to her, it just couldn't be real, could it? Kairi slowly took steps on the docks towards Sora, she was still uncertain whether or not to sit down next to him. After all, it could be just a trick.

"Kairi, come on! What's taking so long?" Sora asked. Kairi got to the edge and looked down at Sora, she sat down next to him staring him in the eyes. "Still as young and beautiful as always.." he said.

Kairi looked at herself, what had happened? Sora ran his fingers through what just was long dark hair, but now was short and red again, like she was young. She looked at her outfit, it was wrong, all wrong. She was wearing her blue skirt and white top, but wasn't she just in different clothes a minute ago?

"I'd like to see it too, along with any other worlds out there! I want to see 'em all!" Sora said with joy. 

Kairi was at a loss for words. She didn't know what to say, she didn't even know where she was, but then something seemed to take over. "So, suppose you get to another world. What would you do there?" she asked. 

"Well, I haven't really thought about it. It's just... I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds... Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?" blabbed Sora.

Kairi looked up at Sora, he had a smile on his face just like old times. Something didn't seem right though. Sora never said that Kairi thought to herself trying to remember some of the old conversations they had before the journey that almost took Kairi's life, and changed it.

Sora looked ahead at the thunder clouds. "Been a while hasn't it?"

Kairi looked at him. "A while for what?" she asked.

"You know, getting caught in one of these storms like this. It's been almost too long. I guess we're making up for lost time now huh?" said Sora.

"It's been three years..." Kairi said. Kairi turned her head to Sora, he was gone. Kairi stood up confused at what just happened. She turned around to walk home and Sora was standing there once again.

"You can't deny it" he said with an evil twist. "It's too late now, everything is intertwined. It is now your destiny."

"Leave me alone!" Kairi screamed. "This isn't real, you aren't real."

The dock began breaking away from under Kairi's feet. The water in the ocean suddenly turned black leaving a cold chill in the air. More of the dock began breaking, as Kairi's weight overpowered it, forcing her through the boards. She grabbed onto the ledge of the dock. The storm in the sky began to grow and grow, covering the entire sky in sight with pure darkness. The leaves of the trees around began to shrivel and die, falling down to the now dark ground. Kairi extended her hand to Sora, but Sora turned his back.

"Kairi, it's real, it's destiny. No matter how hard you try, you can't beat the path that is set ahead of you. Believe me, it is a bumpy path that is ahead too" Sora joked as he turned back around grabbing Kairi's arm pulling her up. "You have to be prepared. You have to be strong Kairi, for me, you have to be strong. You have some pretty tough decisions laid ahead of you Kairi, you know? You'd be surprised how much you are going to learn about yourself. Kairi, are you ready for it? Are you ready for your destiny?" With that said, Sora slowly let go of Kairi's arm as she fell into the deep black ocean. She let out a scream, but no one was there to save her this time. "Kairi, it's destiny.." Sora said as Kairi hit the water. Kairi closed her eyes, the darkness was too strong.

*****

That's it for the first chapter folks, not too long, but I strictly wanted the first chapter just to be this one scene and this one scene only. I hope you guys enjoyed this so far, maybe some of you even felt Kairi's pain throughout the beginning of the chapter. The song in italics that was used in this chapter is Amanda Perez's "Angel", so the song is copyrighted her, and I don't own it, although it really is a great song and so is her CD. Anyway, here is the preview for the next chapter and make sure to drop me a review to tell me how you like the story or even dislike it...

**Chapter 2: Darkness Before Dawn**  
**Release Date:** April 18, 2003  
**Preview:** NO PREVIEW AVAILABLE


	2. Dawn of Destiny

Hey gang, well I was really hyped about this fic, so I decided to post a chapter today. I was originally going to post "Into The Darkness" but it being such a long chapter, I decided to break it into two parts renaming the first part to this, then the second part will be named Into The Darkness. This was originally all suppose to be in Chapter 1, but since I decided to make chapter 1 just that one scene, I moved this into its own chapter. 

Thanks for the reviews so far, I'm getting on more and more people's favorite authors lists so it's really telling me some of you guys like this story. The first chapter and this chapter hold some really important clues to the plot, so try and find them. Now without further ado, here it is....

**Chapter II: Dawn Of Destiny**

Kairi awoke, lying in a bed of her own sweat. "What had just happened?" she thought to herself. It was a dream, all a dream, but it wasn't. It felt so real, just like all the others. Day after day, week after week, dreams like these were in Kairi's mind, at least for the past few weeks that is. She just couldn't get rid of the thoughts about Sora. However, something was way different about this one, it was just too intense. Then she thought to herself, these weren't dreams she was having. They were nightmares.

A beeping sound suddenly startled Kairi as she looked over to her nightstand and saw that it was only the sound of her alarm clock. It was the start of a new day, which also meant time for school. She sat up from bed, her hair still wet with sweat. She got out of bed pushing her light blue covers to the side and walked across the room to her closet door. She pulled open the door as a box containing papers suddenly fell from above releasing the papers into the air as it went. Kairi looked down at some of the papers, they weren't papers though, they were pictures. Pictures Kairi was storing at the top of her closet, pictures she didn't want to see anymore. She bent over and grabbed a few of the pictures by the handful and scooped them back into the box. Upon looking back down to pick up another handful, a picture was laying face up right in front of Kairi. It was a picture of her, Sora, and Riku lying on the beach together. It was times when they were happy, it was times when everything was ok, before destiny had to play a part. Kairi took the picture and ripped it up, throwing it in the box with the rest. 

After cleaning up the spilt box of pictures, Kairi grabbed an outfit from her closet and began to get ready for school. It was the same outfit she was wearing in her dream, a black skirt and a white blouse. Kairi glanced up at her calendar. It was three years tomorrow that she had last seen Sora, exactly three years that he made that promise which he couldn't keep. "It's my fault anyway.." she thought to herself. "Who would want to come back to me?"

Times were different in this new world, Kairi was now 17. She was now a junior in high school, a smart student as well. She wasn't into too much besides school; she didn't even have many friends anymore. Since the events of the heartless, she sheltered herself, never opening up, never talking to others, for there was that fear they would leave her once more. Kairi once thought her and Sora would be together forever, they even shared a legendary paopu fruit together. The fruit was supposed to unite them forever, but Kairi believed it did just the opposite.

"Kairi hunny, are you ready for school?" yelled a voice from downstairs.

The voice was Kairi's mother, but not her birth mother. It was the woman who took her in the night Kairi came to Destiny Island and raised her ever since. Kairi wondered all the time what her birth mother and father would have been like, she wanted to know who they were, after all she did come from them. She didn't remember them at all, only bits and pieces that are still blurry. The only thing she really could remember of her past is her grandmother, specifically a story that she told Kairi. The story was about light. Her grandmother told her everything once came from light, but people began to get greedy over the light, causing darkness to be born within their hearts. The darkness didn't stop though, as it soon swallowed worlds and the hearts of many. The tiniest shimmer of light however helped to rebuild the worlds, and that is the worlds in which they live, divided, separated, never to come in contact with one another.

"Yeah mom, I'll be right down" Kairi screamed down the steps. Kairi walked over to her desk and grabbed a few pencils and threw them into her backpack. She then grabbed a book which laid on her desk and put that into her backpack as well, zippering it up when she was done. She grabbed it by the back handle, then ran down the steps.

Kairi entered her living room and threw her bag down by the coffee table. She turned around, startled by her mother. Her mother was an elderly woman, similar in looks to her grandmother. She wore a long orange skirt which dragged on the floor, covered by a white apron. Under the apron there was an orange blouse, which was full sleeve. She had light blue eyes with her face being rough and wrinkly, along with long gray hair that went down to her shoulders. 

"Good morning" Kairi said delightfully giving her a kiss on the cheek. She wasn't delightful though, if only her mother knew the true pain that lay inside Kairi day after day. She couldn't show that side though; she couldn't have someone else having to worry about her. "What do you have planned for today?"

Kairi's mother looked up and gave Kairi a smile. "Well.." she said. "I think I may go into town, pick up some food, pay some bills, you know." Kairi smiled back. "I do want to talk to you about something though, something is wrong."

Kairi's smile turned into a look of terror. "What's wrong?" she asked terrified. "Are you ok?"

"Kairi, I feel something. I feel something wrong, I don't know what though yet. It feels like something is coming, something bad. I never had a feeling as strong as this though, it feels bad."

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked. "Are you feeling ok? Do you want me to call a doctor?"

"Kairi no, it has nothing to do with me and my health. We already know that's bad" her mother said cracking a smile. "This has something to do with you, something I feel that you are connected to. Kairi, you know your special, you have always been special. I knew that since I first found you on the beach those many years ago. You are going to make a difference; you are going to change the world."

Kairi looked up at her mother, she was speechless, she wasn't expecting anything of this nature. What was she connected to? She already knew she was a princess of heart, but what did it really mean? She wanted answers to this, she wanted answers to everything.

"Mom, I have to go before I'm late for school. I'll be home later tonight, alright?"

*****

Kairi walked alone on a dirt path, carrying her bag over her shoulder. It was a sunny day at last, it was beautiful. She walked through the woods through some nice green brush and came out upon another path. The island seemed so wonderful with the sky brightly lit by the sun, the trees and plants flourishing, the birds chirping. When Destiny Island was restored from the darkness, everything else was restored too, including that beauty.

"Kairi!!" hollered a voice from the distance. Kairi turned around surprised as she saw a girl running up over the horizon. It was one of Kairi's friends which she pushed away so much, it was Selphie. Selphie didn't care though, she knew Kairi was going through a tough time; she wasn't going to give up on her.

"Hey Selph" Kairi said. "You going to school too?"

"Like I would miss it" Selphie joked. "One of these days I'm going to get a higher grade point average than you Kairi, I just know it."

"Well don't stop trying and maybe you will." Kairi chuckled. "You want to walk with me?"

"Why not, I have nothing better to do. Although I did promise Tidus and Wakka that I'd stop by and pick them up, so you mind swinging by with me?"

"Selph, you know Tidus and I haven't talked for over two years now since we got in that big fight. I really don't want to start again now; I don't even like seeing him in school that much anymore. Why don't you just go off and be with them."

"No" Selphie said stubbornly. "I'll walk with you instead."

Selphie was a true friend, the only true friend Kairi believed she had left. Selphie on the other hand didn't know what to think about Kairi. She wished so much that the old Kairi would be back, the Kairi she once knew that always had a smile on her face. She wanted the Kairi that loved adventure, the Kairi that loved being with her friends. Selphie believed that the Kairi she was looking for was lost, just like the disappearance of Riku and Sora.

The two walked for a while until they finally reached the school grounds. Tidus and Wakka stood along the flag pole with angry looks on their faces. Selphie left Kairi for a second and walked up to the two as Kairi saw an argument break out between Selphie and the two guys. Selphie eventually walked away from them and she and Kairi began walking away towards the school.

"What was that about?" Kairi asked to a little depressed Selphie.

"Ahh it was nothing, they just got a little mad that I didn't go get them this morning. They'll get over it, eventually." 

"Tidus doesn't like to get over stuff you know, that boy can..."

"No Kairi, don't blame that on him." Selphie interrupted. "You are the one who started it between you guys two years ago. You are the one who told him you never wanted to talk to him again. I don't understand how you can blame that on him for not getting over stuff. You are the one who still hasn't gotten over Sora and Riku, and to think, three years tomorrow."

Kairi looked at Selphie, how could her best friend, her only friend, say this to her. Kairi let a tear run down her cheek, as she then turned her back to Selphie and ran off into the woods.

"Kairi, no wait, I didn't mean it like that" Selphie sighed.

It was too late thought, Kairi had already left.

Kairi was running through the woods, she felt alone, she felt lost once more. She didn't know what to do; she didn't want this pain to continue like this. One by one she kept losing everyone; it was her fault she was all alone. She really couldn't get over the loss of Sora. She knew what she now had to do; she knew where she had to go.

*****

Kairi was on the ocean, she was rowing a boat to somewhere she had to be, somewhere it just felt right to be at the moment. Waves crashed into the boat, the sea was getting rough. The bright day that was, is no more, it was turning slowly to darkness. The bright blue cloudless sky that was present in the morning was now only covered in gray clouds that took over the entire sky. Kairi began to row the boat faster, but the waves were strong. The ocean was throwing the tiny boat around like a rag doll.

"I have to get there! I have to get there! Only three more minutes until I get there!" she began saying to herself aloud. She was determined; she knew where she had to go.

More waves crashed into the boat, it was looking bad for Kairi. Another wave began to form ahead, it was big, it was bad. The wave crashed into the boat as the boat crept over the top and then dropped back down onto the ocean top. Kairi went for an ore but it was lost over the boat into the water. Another wave began forming, but Kairi couldn't turn the boat or paddle in time, the wave crashed into the boat, forcing it under the water.

  
"Uhhh, where am I?" Kairi thought to herself awakening lying on the beach. She was soaking wet, drenched from head to toe. She stumbled up as she saw she had reached her destination. She staggered along the beach, she had a deep gash in her leg from the boat wreck. She didn't care though, it didn't matter at the moment, only one thing mattered. 

Kairi got to the door of the secret cavern; it still had vines grown over it, just like in her dream. She began removing them, pulling them off with all her strength. Finally when the door was completely uncovered, Kairi saw the heartless insignia carved into the door. She touched the symbol, realizing she had done this in her dream she removed her hand from the door and then pushed it open.

She walked along the dark cavern that twisted and turned until coming out into the back room. Kairi took no notice to the door that stood tall in the back, she went right towards the picture. A layer of dust covered the picture on the wall, but Kairi wiped it off with her hand until the drawing of her and Sora was presently clear. She ran her hand over the drawing, remembering the time her and Sora shared the paopu fruit, the time when they were alone in the sewer of Traverse Town. Only Sora and Kairi knew about the moment, no one else. It was right after Kairi had given Sora the oathkeeper, which he promised to return, yet never did. Kairi sat down along the drawing with her hand over it, not moving at all.

"So you've returned here why?"

Kairi jumped up and looked around. She saw nothing, there was nothing, only darkness.

"Oh Kairi, always crying, never letting go. Have you learned nothing?"

"That voice.." Kairi cried. "I know that voice, I know who you are. You can't do this to me."

"I can't? Kairi, you are such a fool. One who knows nothing, can understand nothing. A smart man once taught me that."

"No..." screamed Kairi. "How can you say that? That smart man you talk about was a monster, he was a killer, he tried to bring this world into darkness. You stopped him though, you helped."

A figure appeared from out of the darkness, the figure of young Sora. He walked around the room and took a few glances at Kairi. Sora then moved over to the door, the door to the heart of the world.

"Wonder what will happen if I open it?" Sora laughed maniacally. "Oh that's right, the world will be shrouded in darkness."

"Noo!" pleaded Kairi. "I don't know what's going on, but I know you are better than this Sora. You are the keyblade master!"

"Ohh foolish girl, you are so wrong. I'm not the keyblade master anymore, for you see it has now been changed, destiny has been rewritten." Sora said. "You see Kairi, you changed everything. You are going to make a difference, but you have to let go. You can't make a difference with me standing in your way, that's what I'm trying to show you."

"I don't understand" Kairi said confused. "What is going on? Tell me"

"How about I show you?" Sora said moving closer to the door. Sora looked back at Kairi, who stood there still confused. Suddenly Sora pulled open the door, releasing a huge rush of darkness out flooding the cave. Kairi got pushed out of the cave and was flying in air, darkness was all around her. She closed her eyes tight, unaware of what was ahead of her.

  
Kairi gasped waking up next to the drawing in the cave. She must have fallen asleep and was unaware of the dream, no wait, nightmare she was having. She stood up still startled. What did these nightmares mean? What did her mother mean? How was she special? There were too many questions, and too few answers. Kairi wanted to know, she needed to know. She looked down at her watch; she must have been out for hours because it was already dinner time. She ran out of the cave and back onto the beach where a storm was approaching. There was no sign of her boat she used to get here, it must have floated out to sea. She then noticed that there were a few spare boats still tied up along the docks, borrowing one wouldn't hurt. 

*****

Kairi closed the door to her house, she was soaked from being out in what now turned into a huge thunder storm pouring down rain. As the noise of the door slamming spread into the kitchen, her mother ran into the living room.

"Kairi, where were you? I was worried sick! The school called and said you weren't there, then you never came home. What is going on?"

Kairi looked at her mom, she didn't know what to say to make things better. She let out a sigh, then ran up the steps to her room. She got in plopping down onto her bed, she was thinking about everything. She needed the answers to these questions. What was really going on with these nightmares? They were telling Kairi something, preparing her for something to come. The only question is, what is coming? Kairi soon drifted off to sleep, unaware of the true power of the storm that brewed outside. It wasn't a regular storm; it was the same storm the night it all began. It was the same storm where Sora first obtained the keyblade. The question is no longer what was coming, the question now is, what is here?

*****

Ending at a bit of a cliff hanger huh? I guess you guys will just have to wait until later to read the rest and find out just what is going to take place. Anyway, here is what's happening on the next chapter.

**Chapter 3: Into The Darkness**  
**Release Date:** April 19, 2003  
**Preview:** Kairi wakes up to find the huge storm brewing outside, she knows it is now time, it's time to embrace her destiny. She decides to check out the storm and returns back to the beach, but just what power does this storm has? Is she in for more than she bargained for? Find out tomorrow on Kingdom Hearts 2: Origins.


	3. Into The Darkness

Well I didn't get any reviews since last time, so now I'm begging a little to drop me a review or two, I want to know how you guys either like or hate this story. The beginning is going to go by a bit slow, but some of these scenes I got to include for storyline purposes that you won't really figure out until the end when everything comes together and you'll be like "Ohh! Damn it I should have seen this coming!" So yeah, just drop a review and it would be great. This chapter isn't too long, but will be the beginning of the big bad stuff. 

**Chapter III: Into The Darkness**

"So you're trying to tell me something?" Kairi asked eagerly sitting on a rock. She was once again back on the beach. The storm was getting bad, the wind seemed like it was from a hurricane. 

"Yeah, it's important too Kairi." Sora said with a serious look on his face. He was standing besides the rock. "Kairi, you need to understand your destiny, you need to understand your fate."

"Why though?" Kairi screamed back at him. "What is so important that I would have to know this now? What really is going on? My mom told me I was special, she said I would change the world. You told me I was special. How does this all fit together? What am I?"

"Kairi, it will all come together in due time. I am going to show you something, something you need to know, something you HAVE to know. But first, you have to let go. You have to let go of the memories that stop you, the memories that bind you to not letting me go. I am always here with you Kairi, and I always will be, but in the end you are going to have to make the final sacrifice. The fate of the world depends on you, like it once did me. I won't be here with you this time; I won't be here for you. Something bad is coming, or should I say is already here. You have to stand strong by yourself and fight it; it's your time now. Your journey begins here."

*****

Kairi sat up from her bed, she was breathing hard. She finally caught her breath, and got out of bed to her window cell. "It is time" she said to herself peering out the window. "It's time for me to begin my own journey."

Outside it was getting bad, the storm was ripping through Destiny Island. Palm trees were getting ripped out of the ground and blown in the air, the waves were worse than she ever saw, the sky itself was total darkness. She didn't care though, she knew what she had to do. She knew what was here, she knew it was her destiny.

Kairi ran over to her closet changing quickly back into her black skirt and white shirt. She picked up her shell necklace that laid on her dresser and chained it around her neck. She remembered the time she made the necklace; it was made out of thalassa shells. The tale was that if you made the necklace before going off on the voyage, it would ensure a safe return. Sora used to tease Kairi all the time about the necklace, but he never really meant anything by it, just like Sora would tease her about a lot things. She shook the memory out of her head and ran out of the room.

She threw on a pair of sneakers that were in her hallway and walked towards the steps. Suddenly a door swung open, it was the door leading to her mother's room. The wind which flew in from an open window in the room caused the door to fly open. Kairi walked into the room and closed the window. She walked over to her mother's bed and knelt down besides it.

"Mom, you were right. I think I am special, I think am going to make a difference. I have to go now though, for if I stay on this island, I won't get another chance. I need to make that difference, I need to go off on this journey for myself. I hope you understand."

Kairi got up, a tear rushed down her cheek and onto her mother. She turned around and paced towards the door. Her mother cracked a smile, making Kairi believe she was sleeping this entire time. She too knew the importance of Kairi leaving, she wasn't about to try and stop her.

Kairi rushed out the door and ran through the woods to the docks. She had to get to the beach, it was the place it all began those many years ago, and it was the place it was going to continue now. She quickly untied her rowboat and got in. The waves in the ocean were tough, but Kairi was tougher.

*****

"You know, Riku has changed" Kairi said sitting off in the sunset along Sora. The two were sitting on the beach. It was a time when they were both young, a time when they hadn't worried about the heartless, a time when everything could stand still and she knew it would still be her and Sora.

"What do you mean?" Sora looked up surprised. He wasn't quite sure just what Kairi was talking about.

"Well..." Kairi began to say.

"You okay?" Sora interrupted.

Kairi paused for a few seconds looking away. "Sora, let's take the raft and go, just the two of us!"

Sora acted a little confused. Was Kairi for real? Did she really want to go just with him? He didn't know, but if it was for real, he could sure make work of it.

"Just kidding" Kairi laughed. It was true though, Kairi wished that it could be just the two of them, there was so much to explore, she wanted to be along Sora's side.

Sora cracked a smile rubbing his head. "What's gotten into you?" he asked. "You're the one that's changed, Kairi."

"Maybe" she said. "You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready. No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here. Right?"

"Yeah, of course!"

"That's good. Sora, don't ever change."

"Huh?" Sora wondered.

"I just can't wait. Once we set sail, it'll be great."

*****

Kairi snapped out of it, she couldn't be thinking about the old times. In her dreams, Sora told her to let go, she had to listen to him if she was going to beat whatever it was that was coming. Kairi got out of her boat and pulled it up along the shore. She was finally back at the beach.

"It's time!" she screamed up into the dark masses above. "I want to leave this world, I want you to take me to where I'm suppose to be."

Kairi waited for a few seconds, but nothing happened, that is until a huge thunderbolt struck down causing Kairi to fall to the ground. She began to crawl along the beach pulling herself back up.

"Noo!" she screamed once again at the dark mass. "It's my destiny now, I have to go."

Suddenly the ground began shaking, something was happening. A few feet away from Kairi the ground began to crack open, and a huge dark hand arose from it. The dark hand pulled itself up until a darkside was shown. Kairi felt something happening; she knew she had to prove herself in order to go. The darkside picked up its hand and flung it at Kairi but Kairi rolled out of the way to safety. She broke off a branch from a nearby tree and began to swat the hand away to no effect.

The darkside was big, it was strong. The hand began to stalk Kairi wherever she ran, it was closing in fast. Kairi went to turn around but she tripped and fell to the ground. The hand began to come crashing down when something happened, something unexpected. Just as the hand was ready to crush Kairi, a weird glow began to form around Kairi. It was bright, it was a lighted aura. The moment the hand touched Kairi it began to crumble away. Knowing the darkside was defeated, he retreated back into the whole from whence it came.

"What's going on?" Kairi thought to herself. She knew that being a princess of heart had its advantages, but never did she see something like this. Come to think of it, she never had any extraordinary powers like the others had, that is until now. Kairi got up from the ground and brushed the sand from her off. She turned once more to the storm.

"Well, I did it! I defeated whatever that was, and I want to go. You have to take me!"

The ground from below Kairi began to shake again. Kairi feared at what might be coming next. Suddenly the ground began to crack up entirely; streams of darkness began spewing up from below. What was going on? Kairi turned around in fear and began to run until the ground broke entirely away. She turned once again but the ground there was now no more. Kairi was stuck on only the smallest piece of land, she was trapped. Little by little the tiny piece of land she was on began to disappear, until she was only floating in darkness. She closed her eyes, not knowing what was coming next.

_ "Kairi, you're a fighter, get up! Fight it!"_

The voice of Sora came to Kairi, she reopened her eyes and was still surrounded by darkness, floating in the darkness of nothingness. She didn't care though, she had a strong enough heart to fight it, she was going to win. She closed her eyes once more, this time knowing what was happening. The darkness wasn't going to overtake her, she was going to overtake the darkness.

*****

Like I said, not too long of a chapter, but now setting the entire story up for the next chapter and the chapters that follow. Right now there are a total of 31 chapters all written out in just notes, so if you guys stick around things are going to get interesting from here. Please, this time I'm begging you, leave a review. You guys don't know how hard I'm working on this story; I spent the last 2 months planning it all out writing all the chapters in notes, so review and help a brother out. Now I'll leave you with the preview for the next chapter.

**Chapter 4: A Chance Encounter**  
** Release Date:** April 22, 2003  
** Preview:** Kairi finds herself in Traverse Town and now has a new toy, but what it is you'll have to read to find out. She decides it's time to visit a few places, but with a lurker hiding in the shadows, could this spell trouble for Kairi?


	4. A Chance Encounter

Hey guys, made you wait a bit later for this chapter instead of posting it the next day. Anyway, I'm now going to be doing what I said in the first post since I got a few chapters posted together. Like I said in the beginning, I was going to be posting the chapters on Wednesdays and Sundays. From now on, this rule will go into affect. Next Sunday will be when Chapter V will be posted, and the following Wednesday will be Chapter VI. Then after these chapters, if not for you already, the story is really going to be heating up since Chapter VII will be the first chapter when a new world will be visited. As for now though, Chapter IV is up, so enjoy. 

**Chapter IV: A Chance Encounter**

_ "I will fight it" _

_ "I am going to win"_

_ "I see it now, I see a light"_

*****

"Where am I?" Kairi said confused sitting up. She was in a bed, but not her bed. The room did look familiar though, it was a room she was in before. She got up and glanced around, the room was covered in nothing but green. Green clocks, green bed, green table, and even a green chest were present in the room. Kairi walked over to the door, she pulled it open and entered a hallway. 

"This all looks too familiar.." Kairi began saying to herself. Suddenly, from down the hall, an elderly man saw Kairi. He began to walk towards her as Kairi backed up. She never saw the man before, but it seemed like he was coming towards Kairi. She quickly turned her back and tried to enter the green room again when the man hovered over her and stopped her from opening the door.

"Who, who are you?" Kairi asked trembling.

"It's alright, you're alright" the man said. "I was a little bit worried about you when I found you out there all alone lying in that ally, so I brought you here and gave you a nice bed to sleep in. Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Nilrem."

"I'm....Kairi." she said back to him. "So let me guess, this is Traverse Town?"

"Exactly!" Nilrem said. "The one and only. You from around here?"

"Not exactly, but I've been here before. It was over three years ago, right before the heartless threat ended."

"Ended?" Nilrem shrieked. "What are you talking about? Those little buggers are getting worse by the day. It was just the other day I was attacked by a group of blacked cloaked folks. They gave me a run for my money, almost killed me. Luckily, I was able to escape."

"Black cloaked folk?" Kairi asked a bit confused. "Heartless?"

"I'm not sure what they are, they act like the heartless. Mainly because they share the whole evil thing, but these guys are something way worse. So powerful you know?"

"I'm sorry but I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't seen one before."

"You haven't?" asked Nilrem. "Well that would make sense I guess, they don't show up too often. It's like one minute the ground breaks open, these guys appear, run around a bit, then go back. They don't even really do anything, besides for nearly killing a few people. It's like they are looking for something. Either that or someone."

Kairi wasn't sure what was going on, didn't Sora stop the heartless so many years ago. He did stop Ansem, but did that stop the heartless all together? Kairi decided she was going to find out these answers herself.

"Well thanks for taking me in, but I think it's time for me to go. I have a long journey to start." said Kairi. She gave Nilrem a smile, then started walking down the hallway looking for the exit. 

"Aren't you forgetting something?" yelled Nilrem.

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked turning back around.

"That thing I found you with, I laid it by your bed. If you don't want it I guess I can always use it."

Kairi ran back down the hall towards the door to the room she was sleeping in. She opened the door and ran over to her bed. She couldn't see anything at first, but she moved to the opposite side of her bed. She saw it; she saw something that was going to change her destiny forever.

*****

"Your majesty, are you crazy?" Daisy bellowed. "We just can't leave the castle!"

"Daisy, something big has awoken. You have to understand my intentions. It's not something I want to do, yet something I must do. The king told me a long time ago that he feared something like this would happen, something bad. That's why he left me this" Minnie said holding up a clear crystal.

"What does that do again?" Daisy asked.

"It's a powerful gem; Mickey found it on one of his journeys. It's supposed to steer you in the right direction, lead you where you have to be. I was looking at it the other day and it was shining, glimmering. That's when a bright light shot across the room. It locked onto the map that hung in the grand room. On the map, the light pointed to Traverse Town. Daisy, that is where we have to go."

"What about the heartless?" Daisy protested. "Between me and you, how are we going to defend ourselves from them? We can't possibly go on a journey and make a difference by ourselves."

"That's why there was another part to this story" said Minnie. "The crystal also pointed to where help would be, most specifically a keyblade. What if...what if it is the boy Mickey talked about? The one that was prophesized to open the door to the light. He may be our only hope Daisy."

"What if we don't find him? What if it's just you and me, then what?"

"You have been studying magics since Donald has been gone. You even have one of his old staffs, you should be good to go. As for me, I can handle myself."

"Your majesty, are you absolutely sure you want to do this? There are people who do this for a living now, get rid of the heartless. There are so many heartless hunting groups around, why can't we just let them handle this stuff?" Daisy asked.

"Daisy, this is bigger than the heartless. Whatever I feel, it's not the heartless, it's something else, something bad. That is why we are going. It's not like whatever this thing is is going to be in Traverse Town anyway. Help is going to be in Traverse Town. Either way we have to go, for the king."

"The king is gone though.." Daisy said with a saddened face. "The king, Sir Donald, Sir Goofy, they are gone! As far as I see they aren't coming back either. Don't tell me you are just doing this hoping to find him. We looked once before your majesty. There is nothing more in the world that I would like better than to be able to find Donald, find the king, and find Goofy. We looked over and over again, we aren't going to find them."

"I don't care, I'm still going to follow what he said. Daisy, you could stay here, but I'm going." Minnie said sitting up from her throne. She passed Daisy and began walking down the long red carpet. Daisy sighed, then ran to catch up to Minnie.

*****

Kairi gasped. She couldn't believe it, it was a keyblade. She bent over to pick it up, when she noticed something. Attached to the handle of the keyblade was a small paopu fruit key chain. She picked up the keyblade and gripped it in her hand. She felt power, she felt strong. The keyblade was Sora's..

"You kept a promise" Kairi said aloud to herself. "You brought it back."

The keyblade was no doubtfully the oathkeeper. It was the keyblade that Sora once owned, but was now Kairi's. Kairi wasn't sure how it happened, but she felt Sora had sent it back to her. 

"It's too late now, everything is intertwined. It is now your destiny." Kairi whispered under her breath. These were the words Sora told her in her dream. Everything was coming together now. Sora seemingly passed on his destiny to Kairi, he gave her the keyblade, but how? Where was Sora? Was he alright? Kairi needed to know. 

She ran out of the room into the hallway. There was no one in sight. Where was Nilrem? He was just there a minute ago, but now he was gone. Oh well, it didn't matter. Kairi had the keyblade now. If what Nilrem told her was true, then the town most likely had heartless in, heartless that were waiting for someone to show them some light. Kairi opened the door and ran off into the second district. 

It looked the same. The clock tower was still there, the shoe store, the other stores, and even the fountain which hid the keyhole. She walked down the steps and stood in front of the fountain. "Nilrem said heartless were in this world, yet Sora sealed the keyhole." Kairi said to herself. Something didn't seem right, did the keyhole reopen? 

Pacing around the second district, Kairi didn't know what exactly to do. She figured she should try to visit some old places, try to reacquaint herself with some old things. That's when she came up with it, she came up with the idea to go to the cavern. The cavern was where Kairi gave Sora the oathkeeper. It's also where Kairi and Sora shared the paopu fruit together. She had to check it out again, she had to go there.

Kairi entered the ally way behind the hotel, and walked along the waterway. The gate was opened, and Kairi entered. 

*****

"That's it! Our hearts are connected. And the light from our hearts broke through the darkness. I saw that light. I think that's what saved me. No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within. I guess it's more than just a fairy tale." Sora said staring in Kairi's eyes in the cavern waterway. 

"Well, let's go." Kairi said getting closer to Sora.

"You can't go."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because it's way too dangerous." Sora retorted.

"Come on, Sora. We made it this far by sticking together. You can't go alone."

"Kairi, even if we're apart, we're not alone anymore. Right?"

"I can't help?" Kairi asked saddened. She wanted to help Sora in the worst way. They truly were connected, they should be together always.

"You'd kind of be in my way."

"Okay. You win." Kairi let out a sigh. She then pulled something out of her pocket, it was a star shape itemed. It was what Kairi called the oathkeeper. It was for Sora to attach to his keyblade. "Take this. It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me."

"Don't worry. I will" Sora smiled. 

"Promise?" Kairi asked shyly.

"Promise."

"Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you." Kairi said. "That's why I have something else for us."

"Really?" Sora asked. "What is it?"

"You do know the legend of the paopu fruit right?" asked Kairi. "If you share it with someone you truly care about, you'll be connected with that person, destinies will become intertwined."

"Our destinies were always intertwined Kairi, I'm always with you." Sora said splitting the paopu fruit down the middle with Kairi.

*****

Kairi wiped a tear from her eye, along with wiping the memory out of her mind. She sat down alongside the water in the cavern. Someone was watching though, someone in the shadows had an eye on Kairi. He moved along the cavern walls watching her, studying her. Suddenly he brushed alongside the wall as a rock came loose and rolled up by Kairi. Startled, Kairi jumped up and turned around to see the figure. She held her keyblade in her hand tight.

"A keyblade master?" asked the figure. "You're just a girl!"

"A girl?" Kairi responded. "Care to say that in a fight?"

"You, I know you" the figure answered. "You were friends with the boy."

"Sora?" Kairi jumped up shrieking. Her tone of voice began to change. "What do you know about him? Where is he?"

"I was hoping you would be able to tell me. See, I too am looking for the boy."

"But who are you? How do you know him?" she asked.

"My name....my name is Cloud."

*****

Again leaving you hanging. Like hot damn, what could Cloud be doing here? Anyway, the flashback scene is from the original game, but since they never said what happened after Sora got the oathkeeper, I added that bit in there. Hey it's all fair, not like they never said Kairi left, she was still standing there, so you know. Well if you want to know, you got to wait until Chapter V when everything will be explained. So I'm not going to blabber on down here, I'll just post next chapter's info.

**Chapter 5: Someone To Fight For**  
**Release Date:** April 27, 2003  
**Preview:** Kairi and Cloud just met, now what is going to happen? Well this chapter will have Cloud in a bit of a storyteller position, as answers to his past are answered, and the reason he came back is revealed.


	5. Someone To Fight For

Well everyone, looks like this piece of fan fiction is slowly gaining some more popularity and I got some nice reviews, so thanks everyone who took the time. The website I told you about (www.kingdomheartsorigins.com) WILL be opening on May 7, so don't miss it. You guys waited a nice handful of days, so finally, here is Chapter 5 of Kingdom Hearts 2: Origins. 

**Chapter V: Someone To Fight For**

Kairi stood with her keyblade drawn, locking her eyes on the figure that stood before her. He said his name was Cloud, a name Kairi vaguely remembered hearing around a few years ago. 

"So Cloud huh? Why are you here?" Kairi asked.

"I think I deserve to know your name first....keyblade master" Cloud replied.

"The name's Kairi. Glad to know you now recognize me as the keyblade master and not just a girl."

"Well sometimes things can surprise you I guess. People can surprise you as well. Tell me, how did you get that keyblade? Sora never mentioned anything about a female keyblade master" said Cloud.

"To tell you the truth, I really don't know" Kairi responded. "I came here through the darkness from my home world. When I got here a man said he found it lying near me and took it in with me. As for why the keyblade choose me, I haven't a clue. I think it had something to do with me and Sora's destinies."

"Your destinies?" Cloud asked. "How so?"

"Well, I know it might sound crazy, but we shared a paopu fruit together. Sora told me in my dreams, what our destinies were intertwined. He said his destiny was now mine."

"A paopu fruit?" Cloud laughed. "Don't tell me you believe such tales."

"Sounds out there huh?" Kairi smiled. "Now tell me, how did you know Sora?"

"He sort of helped me out a while ago, kind of helped me get closer to a girl I was looking for. It didn't help prevent it though" Cloud said. "I need to find him again. I need his help." 

"Prevent it?" replied Kairi. "Couldn't prevent what?"

"It's a long story" said Cloud. "A story I want forgotten."

"Well, it seems I have time. So why don't you tell me before you forget this story? I may be of some help."

"You have no idea" warned Cloud. "But if you really want to know, so be it."

*****

"A little higher" said Yuffie standing in the middle of a huge thrown room. The room was in a castle, it was Hollow Bastion. She was motioning for Leon to raise a picture that hung on the wall a tiny bit higher up. Aerith, Cid, and Cloud were also in the room with them. Cloud stood with his arm around Aerith watching Yuffie and Leon fight about the picture. Cid was just standing around doing nothing but watching the others.

"Is this good?" Leon yelled down to Yuffie. Suddenly, the ladder in which Leon stood on collapsed and Leon fell to the floor.

"Perfect!" Yuffie laughed. The others joined in on the laughter as well.

"Wasn't that funny..." Leon protested.

"Oh Leon" said Aerith. "Can't you ever take a joke? We were only having some fun with you."

"Yeah, like don't be such a %&#@*" Cid chimed in. "I think I'm going to go make some tea, anyone want some?"

"That's alright, I'm fine" said Yuffie.

"I said I was going to make some tea, which meant all of you are sitting your &^%@*'s down and having some &$@!$^ tea!" screamed Cid.

Cid began to walk off when suddenly the castle began shaking. A few objects sitting on some nearby bookcases began to fall off and crash to the floor as the books on the shelf even fell. The picture that Leon had just hung crashed to the ground. The entire group began looking around and formed a huddle around one another still confused of what was going on. Just then, the floor began to crack open penetrating a large hole in the floor. The gang began to edge closer and closer to the hole when suddenly a handful of black cloaked men appeared from it. Cloud drew his sword as Leon did with his gunblade. Cid pushed the women aside and stood there with his lance to the figures.

"What the hell is going on?" hollered Leon as the figures began lining up.

"I haven't a clue, but these guys are just itching for an ass kicking!" yelled an angry Cid upset that he didn't get to go have some tea.

The figures began circling the group as Yuffie and Aerith got pulled into the mix. Cloud lunged at the one figure with his sword but the figure caught the sword and pushed Cloud back. Leon fired a few shots at another one but the cloaked man absorbed them into a huge blue energy ball. Yuffie began firing a few sharpened pinwheels at a group of the figures but to her surprised they hardly harmed them. 

"Our attacks aren't doing anything towards these guys!" yelled Leon going to attack another one. He slashed one of them with his gunblade but the figure only looked back up at Leon revealing his bright yellow eyes. He held his hand out in front of him as suddenly Leon went flying across the room hitting the wall. 

"What was that?" shrieked Aerith still confused. "These guys are too strong for us, we have to leave!"

In the meantime, Cloud was still at odds ends battling one of the figures. The cloaked man was dodging almost all of his attacks. Cloud swung his sword over his head one more time but the cloaked man only laughed as he disappeared right before the sword came in contact with him. Cloud turned around and was greeted by the same man with a punch landing Cloud across the room into a wall. 

"Too strong..." Cloud murmured. Aerith ran over to Cloud helping him up. "What are these things?" he asked.

"I don't know, but we have to leave. NOW!" Aerith yelled at Cloud.

Yuffie and Cid were being surrounded and circled by six of the figures. Cid pulled out his lance and charged at two of the figures. Both figures began to disappear and reappear before Cid's eyes. Upon reappearing, one of the figures clocked Cid in the stomach landing Cid down on the ground. The figure began to get closer and closer to Cid but Cid was able to grab his lance and pummel the figure down. Cid got to his feet and grabbed Yuffie by her arm and ran over to the rest of the group. Leon was now up and with Cloud and Aerith standing by the door.

"Where to?" asked Yuffie.

"I know a place, you guys have to follow me" Leon said out of breathe.

The gang took off led by Leon into a long dark hallway, as the cloaked figures began to chase after them. They were running through hallway after hallway, as if it was some kind of maze. They finally reached a lift stop and the gang got on the leaving lift just as the cloaked men appeared. The lift slowly raised into the sky leaving the cloaked men behind them.

"What were those *&$%* things?" asked a tired Cid. "They almost *$^%&* killed me!"

"Calm down!" roared Leon. "I don't know what the hell those were. I never saw one before in my life."

"You think they could have been heartless?" Aerith proposed.

"If they were, they were stronger than any heartless we ever fought before" chimed in Cloud.

"This doesn't make any sense. Sora closed the keyhole here, so how were they able to enter?" Yuffie wondered.

"That's right, Sora did close the keyhole. The keyhole was what let heartless in and out, so if the keyhole is closed, it means these guys aren't heartless." Leon contributed to the conversation.

"That's all fine and dandy, but where the &^#$% are we going?" asked Cid.

"Well, this is going to lead us to another part of the castle" Leon uttered. "From there, I know of a secret passage way that will lead us to safety."

A few minutes passed by, and the gang sat on the lift in silence. Everyone was still curious as to what had just attacked them. It seemed as if it all went by so fast, too fast. They needed to learn more about whatever these things were. Another platform came into sight as the gang all stood up looking over to it. The lift came to a stop and one by one they all got out. They were in another lift stopped, but everyone besides Leon knew where they were. Leon picked up a torch which hung on the wall and gestured for the group to follow him.

"So how come we never knew about this place, Leon?" asked Aerith.

"Ansem showed it to me when I was only a little boy" Leon said. "It was incase there was ever an attack on the castle, we had somewhere to hide."

"Wait a second!" hollered Cid. "If Ansem showed this to you, and he is a baddie, and these guys are baddies, wouldn't they know about it?"

"I doubt it" said Leon. "Ansem controlled heartless, and these guys really don't seem like heartless to me." Suddenly Leon stopped in the middle of the hall looking at the bricks the wall was made out of. He ran his fingers along some of them and suddenly pushed one in, revealing a staircase. "In here" he said.

Cloud, Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid walked down the long steep stairwell. It was closed in and the only light was that which came from Leon's torch. The ground walked for a few minutes until they finally reached the bottom of the stairs where only a small room laid concealed. Leon lifted up a carpet which was on the floor revealing a wooden latch. He picked up the latch and a ladder leading into a dark abyss was seen. One by one the group began climbing down the ladder until landing in water.

"Ewwww, where are we?" asked Yuffie.

"Sewers" Leon responded.

"Couldn't you tell by the *&%^& smell?" yelled Cid. 

"So the all mighty Ansem was planning on hiding out in the sewers?" asked Cloud in a non pleasant voice.

"We still have a ways to go" Leon replied. He glanced at Cloud but all Cloud could do is return a dirty look. Something was bothering Cloud, but no one knew what.

** BAMMMMM!**

A large explosion went off as the sewer ceiling fell to pieces. One by one, cloaked figures began to drop into the sewer tunnel. 

"What the?" screamed Aerith.

The cloaked figures immediately attacked but the gang was ready this time and struck back. Cloud drew his sword from behind once again and him and struck at a figure taking him down. Another figure dove towards Cloud but Cloud impaled him with his sword. Cloud took his sword out of the body and looked on it. No blood, only a black liquid. Cloud turned around and was greeted by another figure. Cloud bolted toward him but the figure did his vanishing act, then reappearing behind Cloud. Cloud knew the game by now, and swung his sword behind him puncturing the figures arm.

Leon and Yuffie stayed close to each other as they took on the figures in a fist fight. Yuffie kicked the figure to his lower regions and then kneed his face in. Another figure ran at Yuffie but Yuffie saw him coming and jumped up leaving the figure falling into his comrade. Leon took out his gunblade and began firing at the ceiling. Bricks began to fall leaving a group of the unknowns in the debris. 

Aerith used her staff and batted at a few of the figures but to no avail. One of the figures grabbed her and swung her over his shoulders. Cloud saw this and ran towards her but got held back by a few of the figures. 

"Nooooooo!!!!" screamed Cloud in agony. "Aerith!!!!"

Cid noticed Aerith being taken and threw his lance at the cloaked figure penetrating his back causing him to fall over. Aerith got up and removed the lance then used it against two more figures that came towards her. More and more of the figures began jumping down from above and the group became quickly outnumbered. Leon was fighting off a group until they struck him down. One of the figures picked up his gunblade as a few figures held him. The figure raised the gunblade over his head and went to land down at Leon but Cloud came from behind overtaking the figure. Leon punched his way out of the rest of them and took his gunblade which fell from the other unknown figure's hands.

Cloud and Leon got up and grabbed the girls by their hands and began running down the sewer tunnel, followed by Cid. The unknowns looked off and then slowly began to fade away. Cloud and the group got to another ladder and began to climb up it. Leon pushed up a latch and the group was outside in the woods. 

"Where the *&%$*^*&^ are we?!?" bellowed an impatient Cid. "You were suppose to lead us to safety, now we're outside in the &*@&* woods!!!!!"

"Chill out, Cid!" yelled Aerith. "Leon said he was taking us to safety, and I'm sure he is. Right?"

"Yeah" said Leon. "It's a cave; it's up here in the mountains. It's about a ten minute walk from where we are now."

Leon turned and began walking up a hill, as Cid sighed and decided to follow along with the rest of the group. The walk went well, they didn't encounter anymore of the weird figures and they seemed alright. They finally saw the cave opening and rushed into it.

"Home sweet home, for now at lest" said Leon. "I know it's not much, but there is food and weapons here. It's more towards the back."

The group began walking towards the back of the cave as Cloud separated himself and stayed near the entrance sitting on a rock. Aerith looked back and saw him. "Aren't you coming?" she asked. Cloud looked at her, he didn't say anything. He didn't have to, because Aerith already knew his answer. She turned away, and followed the others into the cave.

In the back, the group made a fire as the night began to settle in. Cloud still wasn't with them; he remained in the same spot he sat in when he first entered the cave. Yuffie threw some twigs that were near the wall onto the fire as Leon bandaged up a wound he got while fighting the cloaked guys. Cid became overjoyed when he was searching around the supplies and found a few bags of instant tea.

"He worries me.." Aerith said sitting close near the fire. 

"Cloud?" asked Yuffie. 

"Yeah" she responded.

"Don't worry, he'll come around eventually" Yuffie comforted. "He's probably just a little confused as to what these guys are, just like we are. I guess sometimes people just tend to take something worse than others."

"I don't think that's it" Aerith replied. "He was like this before what happened today. Everyday it seemed like I was losing him more and more everyday. I don't know what to think anymore."

"Maybe you should go talk to..." 

Yuffie got cut off when Cid came running through to the fire with a cups of instant tea. He put the tea over the fire on a grilling rack which they found inside the supplies in the cave. 

"Cid!" Yuffie yelled. "Me and Aerith were talking here."

"Well now you could talk, and have some nice, warm, ^&*%$ tea too. My god, I try to do you guys a favor and you don't even care. Damn ingrates."

Aerith got up from her seat. She turned around to the entrance of the cave and began walking out. She got to the entrance and saw Cloud standing outside of it looking over the hill. Aerith ran up to him and surprised him from behind.

"Chaos, it's all that's left" said Cloud.

"Huh?" Aerith asked not understanding.

Cloud took Aerith's hand as they walked a little farther up the hill until they were on top of the cave, He then pointed out over the distance. It was the town of Hollow Bastion, what was left of it that was. The sky was now completely black as this unknown horror invaded the town of Hollow Bastion. The cloaked men set houses on fire, as the fire spread from house to house. The screams of villagers echoed all the way up to the mountain cave that the group was in. Even the forests were set on fire that surrounded the town. Cloud looked back at Hollow Bastion castle, as it too was being set on fire. Towers of the castle began crumbling, brining the rest of the castle down with it.

"Why didn't you tell me?" cried Aerith. "We have to do something!"

"There's nothing we can do. Don't you see, we failed. We can't stop this."

"NO!" screamed Aerith. "Get away from me. You AREN'T Cloud" 

Cloud looked up at her confused. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Something happened to the Cloud I knew. The Cloud I knew was strong, he was willing to do whatever he could to stop something like this. He didn't give up, he believed in us. Even if we were stacked with odds like this, the real Cloud would never give up. Now that Cloud is gone, and I'm just waiting for him to come back." Aerith said, then walking away from him. She turned around and stared at him. "We all need the old Cloud back."

Aerith walked off leaving Cloud standing alone of the top of the cave. He peered back over looking down at what once was his home. The more he thought about what Aerith had said to him, the more it began to eat at him inside. A few tears dropped from his eyes, as he covered his face with his hands. He collapsed to the ground. "I can't be that Cloud anymore..." he cried.

Aerith walked back into the cave and sat back down at the campfire. Cid was happily drinking his tea, as Yuffie looked at her wondering if she was alright. Leon was lying down in the back, a little weary about the wound in his arm.

"So Aerith, you talk to 'em?" Yuffie asked.

"Yeah.." she sighed. "Let's not talk about it though."

"Good!" laughed Cid. "This little soap opera between you two sickens me! We need to talk about something important, like whatever the ^%^&*%* these things are!"

"I agree" said Leon walking over to the fire. "These things are strong, we never fought anything of this sort before."

"So if these aren't heartless, what are they?" asked Yuffie curiously.

"We don't know that they aren't heartless for sure. They could just be a stronger type of heartless. That's why we need to find out more about them." said Leon. "Tomorrow we are going back into the castle, we are going to go into Ansem's library and read everything he had there. He may have known what these things were."

"We won't be able to.." sighed Aerith. "The castle was destroyed."

"What!?!?!" yelled Leon sitting up. "Destroyed? What are you talking about?"

"The entire town, the castle, it's in chaos and ruins" she said. "I just looked at it from outside, fires are braking out everywhere. The castle is crumbling. Everything is just out of control."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Leon shouted.

"I don't know" Aerith said turning away. She got up and pulled out a sleeping bag from the supplies. She laid it out on the cave floor and got inside of it, taking herself away from the rest of the group.

"We go tomorrow, either way, tomorrow we fight!" Leon said grabbing himself a sleeping bag as well. Soon, the entire group drifted off to sleep.

Cloud woke up during the middle of the night when he felt rain drops on him. He was sleeping outside where we last saw him. Suddenly, a scream was heard from the cave. "Aerith?" he said to himself getting up fast and grabbing his sword. He ran to the back of the cave to see a fire roaring and four empty sleeping bags. "Aerith? Leon? Cid? Yuffie?" he yelled running around the back looking for his friends. Cloud turned around and saw a cloaked figure. It wasn't like the figures they had fought before, he was in a red cloak.

"Who are you? Where are my friends?" he yelled to the figure drawing his sword.

The figure stood still, not replying to Cloud.

"Answer me!!!" Cloud yelled to the figure. 

"Darkness.." the figure said in a deep darkening voice that echoed through the cave. The cloak slipped off the figure, revealing the shape of Aerith. Aerith turned to Cloud laughing. "Awe, Cloud a little heart broken?"

"Aerith?" he asked.

"No hunny, but I can rip your heart out just as good as she can." the figure laughed maniacally. "You see Cloud, you are nothing. You are just a pawn of something you know nothing about, something you never will know. You can't even hold on to something dear. You lost her once, shame on you. You lost her twice, now she is mine."

"Nooo!" Cloud screamed. "What are you?"

"See Cloud, you my friend are doomed to live a life alone. You push your friends away when you should be helping them. You practically gave me your friends on a silver platter" the dark Aerith said. "Now that they aren't here, you cry. No, No, No Mr., that won't do. You see Cloud, I have something big in mind. Something that will shake this world up. You see what I did to Hollow Bastion? That was NOTHING! Just wait until you see what I have in store for you."

Suddenly Aerith began fading away. Total darkness replaced her shape as it began to surround Cloud. He swung his sword, but he was swinging at nothing. The darkness slithered up his arms, down his legs, and around his body. He was now only floating in a dark abyss. "Aerithhh...." he yelled out, but it was too late. Darkness was all that was left.

*****

"What happened then?" asked Kairi.

"I woke up in another world. I wasn't sure where I was, if I was even anywhere to be. I finally made it here though because I felt in my heart that a keyblade was present. I thought it would be the boy, but it was you."

"Yeah, just a girl, right?" 

"Yes" he replied. "A girl that was chosen by the keyblade, that is."

Kairi smiled. "I will help you find your friends."

"No. I see now I have to do this by myself. You have your own destiny you have to fulfill. I can't let you forget about yours just to help me. I think I will do fine on my own. I don't know why I wasted time to come find the boy when I should have been looking for them all along. I now see this is something I have to do, for myself. I have someone to fight for now" Cloud said turning to the exit of the Traverse Town cavern. "Kairi, we'll meet again."

Cloud walked slowly out of the cave as Kairi stood there not sure what to do next.

"Sora, I'm going to find you" Kairi whispered under her breath.

*****

Wow, long chapter here, but this is going to be nothing compared to the length of the chapters where Kairi visits different worlds. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, my god did I enjoy writing the Cloud story. Don't worry, Cloud will be popping up in the story later on, so don't think his story is done just yet. Once again, thanks for everyone who reviewed the story from before. Not much now to do but give you the preview for the next chapter.

**Chapter 6: Near**  
** Release Date:** April 30, 2003  
** Preview: **Kairi meets up with two other characters that also have been searching for Sora, but what will their reaction be when they find out Kairi is the new keyblade master? Also, a whole lot of trouble is brewing when the black cloaked figures give Kairi a visit, and a wide awakening.


	6. Note

Well I've been staring at this blank screen for about an hour, just can't get into the writing mood. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I just can't get into it like I use to. I promised you guys this, and I feel terrible for those who felt attached to this story that I won't be able to bring you the goods. I just need a little more time to bring it on. 


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